Firestone Walker and SLO Brewing Co. announced today that they have signed a definitive agreement for Firestone Walker to acquire SLO Brewing Co.’s Cali-Squeeze brand.
Cali-Squeeze is a line of flavored hefeweizens that include Blood Orange, Mango, and Tropical P.O.G. New to the brand family in 2021 is Cali-Squeeze Seltzer, a 6% hard seltzer.
“We have been close friends with Hamish and Rod for 20-plus years, and we’ve remained impressed with their commitment to innovation and the way they bring their brands to life,” said David Walker, co-founder of Firestone Walker. “Cali-Squeeze presents a unique beer style for us to explore through what we like to call ‘Fruits with Benefits.’ As a traditional hop-forward craft brewer, we have watched these styles evolve and we see Cali-Squeeze as the beer to help with that discovery.”
Since its founding in 1996, Firestone Walker has grown to become a leading craft brewer. Having stated that they would never enter the hard seltzer category, this was a soft way to hold true to that statement without letting the red-hot category fly by without them. They will likely use their state-of-the-art brewing facility and distribution platform to propel Cali-Squeeze to the next level. “Cali-Squeeze will retain its own identity while bringing a new beer style and brand proposition into the Firestone Walker family,” the press release stated.